Thursday, July 5, 2012
Cameron Quisenberry
I had the first full day in Nicaragua. We woke up and had
a breakfast made up of pancakes, watermelon, and rice and beans. After
breakfast we had orientation with our translators and members of CEPAD Frank
and Doug. After the orientation we sat down to a nice lecture from a history
teacher in Nicaragua. Toward the end she told us that the U.S. could learn a
lot from Nicaragua, such as, how to use less because we as Americans buy stuff
and ask ourselves later "why do I need that". Nicaraguans can survive
on $430 a year which, by the way, is the average salary. After the lecture we
packed up our things and headed out on a 4 hour road-trip to the community we
would be staying at.
As we were in the car frank told us that the roads we will
be traveling on will make the worst roads in Kentucky look great. Which turned
out to be true. We dubbed the road "the safari" because it "felt
like we were on a safari" according to the Megan's. So we finally got into
Matasano about 6ish. We put all of our luggage in our bed chambers and went
outside to play soccer with some of the community kids after a prayer in
church. We met a lot of kids like Juan, chino, Melkey, Harrison, and many more.
We instantly fell in love with the people there, who are all down to earth and
very fun people. So after we played with the kids we settled down and ate...
Rice and beans. Again. After we ate we relaxed until bed and then we went to
sleep after a rough day on the safari. Definitely a great first day.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Megan Carter
Today, on our first full day in the community we had a day
full of activities. To start the day off we ate beans and rice for breakfast
and went to begin working on a farm plantation. We put rocks around passion
fruit plants on the mountainside all morning. For lunch we ate rice and beans
again. Then all afternoon we played baseball and other games with the kids from
the community. We ate beans and rice for dinner and me and Meaghan took our
first shower at the community. Goodnight.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Kelsey Quisenberry
This morning after breakfast we walked to the community
school and got to talk with the 7 teachers of the school. Most of them have
been teaching for many years and really enjoy their jobs. Their complaints and
desires seemed to revolve around lack of resources. These teachers have to go
the extra mile to make classes interesting and keep students in attendance,
because they lack the materials and space that people in the U.S., including
myself, take for granted. The teachers descried how difficult it is to get
approximately 70 students into one room that is made for about 15-20 students.
Teachers must develop their own material and do not have the luxury or
assistance of textbooks. Listening to their genuine passion for teaching the
kids and keeping them in school really made me wish I could do more to help
supply them with the resources and materials to make this goal easier for them.
I found it delightfully interesting that 99% of the students hope to be able to
go to a university.
After lunch we went to a birthday party in the community
where we were warmly welcomed and invited inside the home. This was the
highlight of my day and we all had a blast. We danced, laughed and smiled with
many people from the community and forgot we could not understand each other’s
language and it didn’t matter. The joy and fun we were all having was written
across our faces.
Today may have been the best day so far, for me anyways.
I’ve enjoyed every day, but today has been filled with constant joy and
laughter. I think we have all smiled more today than any other day. I’ve had a
great time so far and look forward to experiencing so much more.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Meaghan Glenn
On Sunday we got to sleep until 8am. Then we had a big
breakfast with rice and beans. Then at 10 we went to a church service where we
were welcomed again by the church. After church we played with the kids until
lunch. Then we had another church service at 4pm and our group sang 2 songs and
Bekah got to preach a little. After church we had dinner...rice and beans and
then we stayed up playing cards in the house. All without power since we lost
it early Sunday morning. We were very thankful for the church services, the
people put on for us and felt welcomed and happy. The Nicaraguan people were so
generous to us and so helpful. Even though we speak different languages we felt
like a family and felt very at home throughout the week. I’m so glad we went on
this mission trip and learned about the people and their culture and I hope we
will be able to return to Matasano to reunite with our friends in the
community.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Maci Quisenberry
Today, I woke up to a bright and cheerful “Hola Maci!” from
Juan, one of the little kids from the community. We woke up a little earlier
than usual to pack and say goodbye to the kids before they headed to school.
After breakfast we saw that some of the children still hadn’t gone to school
yet because they were waiting for us to go with them. So a little after 8:00 we
headed down to the school with them.
We got to the school and the teachers invited us into the classroom to
talk for a bit before we had to leave. After that we all went outside and
played some last games with the children. We played “gato, gato, perro,” which
is their version of “duck, duck, goose” we play in the U.S.. When it was time
to go we all gave each other goodbye hugs, and I have to admit leaving was
probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. After giving multiple
hugs and taking a bunch of farewell pictures, we headed for the van and went
back to the community for one last lunch and worship service. After lunch we
said goodbye to the people of the community, gave them each a hug and a huge
“thank you” for everything they had done for us, and headed back to Managua.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Kendall Quisenberry
My body wasn’t used to sleeping on a real mattress with two
pillows, a head board and fans. Regardless of our extravagant accommodations in
comparison to the mountains, I still woke up with bug bites all up and down my
arms. Though it was never officially sanctioned, it was beginning to be a game:
see who wakes up with the most bites. Although I was rather itchy, I couldn’t
compete with the crater size red bumps covering Kelsey’s arms.
After observing the mosquito damage, I rolled out of bed,
washed my face and prepared myself for a day of adventure with a hearty plate
of rice and beans that were washed down with a bright purple glass of juice.
Today is our last full day in Nicaragua and the group is all excited to hop in
the bus one last time for a tour day.
Arrturo drives us skillfully and swiftly through the
chaotic, unpaved streets of Managua, past the “rich” area that includes several
car dealerships and a mall ten times the size of Owensboro’s. We spent the
morning touring a museum full of volcano fact, diagrams, pictures, and a back
door view overlooking the forest below. Standing on the back porch, my hands
gripped the volcanic rock that served as a fence around the area, the wind
grazed through my hair as I took in the indescribable view of lush green
landscape and a city in the distance. Per usual, clouds dusted the sky
preparing for the afternoon rain. I felt like I was back in Montasano; shutting
my eyes I pictured the children giggling as we chased them during our morning
games of tag.
My daydream was ended by the group’s ambition to leave the
museum in pursuit of the volcano. Arrturo speedily maneuvered the van up the
unpaved mountain until we reached the top and were able to get out and touch
the live volcano. Unfortunately, the sulfur smell was too strong to allow us to
see the crater in the middle or to travel to the very top where a cross dug
into the rock. Story has it that a Spanish priest placed the cross, made of
what appears to be tree branches, at the opening of the volcano because he
thought the volcano was the home of the devil. Many of the superstitious types
believe that all the eruptions that have happened since then were due to the
devil being angry for his home being disturbed.
When enough pictures had been taken and sulfur ingested, we
headed back to the van and to the city of Granada where we took a boat ride
around the islands of the largest fresh water lake in Central America, and the
only to house fresh water sharks. The wind in our faces, for the first time in
a few days, the sun caressed our skin as we observed the mansions on each
island. The most expensive home was $7.4 million and the cheapest island
(without a house on it) was going for $100,000. Restaurants, a cemetery and a
school littered a few of the islands. While the restaurants were mainly for
rich visitors, the school and cemetery were established for the Nicaraguan
families employed to keep the house clean and food on the table when the owners
come to town. We also saw the “monkey island” where two monkeys live and are
loved by all visitors.
Arriving in Granada, I almost forgot I was still in Nicaragua.
Because of the influx of tourism and past Spanish influence in the area, it had
a European feel to it. Five star hotels, ice cream shops, cafes and a variety
of restaurants lined the streets. I heard more English than Spanish and saw
more jorts and name brands than I did dirty shoes and Nicaraguan smiles. We
went to two markets. The first was in an open square and the second enclosed by
a stone wall. Unfortunately, I was unable to exercise my stellar bargaining
skills acquired from my experience in other third-world markets because this is
a rich tourist destination and the vendors do not lower their prices because
they know another sucker is just around the corner. Regardless, the market was
full of color, ethnicities, and bargains.
We spent much longer at the second market and I don’t think
anyone left with extra money or without meeting a new friend. As I was
searching desperately for a present to bring back to my father, I ran into
Kelsey and we instantly became friends with the 22-year old university student
who is fluent in English and works at the market during the week to pay for
school on the weekend. He provided much entertainment and allowed us to learn
about people our age from this culture. It’s people like him who are the hope
and the future of Nicaragua; the students who are fortunate enough to get a
good education and care enough about their home to remain there after
graduation and bring change.
Exhausted, dusted with rain and excited about new purchases,
we headed to our first meal without rice and beans being the main dish. It had
become habit for me to crave the dry taste of beans accompanied by the moist
rice around this time at night, but my taste buds were excitedly shocked when I
ingested too much Hawaiian pizza and bread sticks. Italian, Nicaraguan style.
During dinner, we met two missionaries and their two
daughters who helped Bekah organize our trip with CEPAD. I hope to be able to
tell a story similar to theirs one day. They work for Global Ministries and
applied to do international work. About two years ago, they packed up their
lives, took a leap of faith and moved to Nicaragua with a small child. Since then, they have become fluent in
Spanish, teachers, preachers and he has begun and environmental science
project. Their daughters were the definition of content. The baby, almost ten
months, didn’t make one peep all through dinner. She loved being held by
strangers and using her new teeth to eat pizza crust.
Unfortunately, after dinner, we had to say “audios” to
Frank, our entertainment for the week, but also known as our leader/translator
and Arrturo, the best and silliest driver Nicaragua has to offer. After
farewell hugs and promises to see each other again, we took a final picture and
headed off to bed.
However, it being the last night, the girls (better yet,
Meaghan Glenn) decided it would be best to stay up all night because we had to
wake at 4 am to catch our plane. Against my better judgment, I allowed her to
call the shots for the evening and the lack of sleep was well worth it. Not
only did all the girls successfully hang our new hammocks from various places
in CEPAD, but we truly bonded. Conversation flowed like it would between
friends of twenty years. The five of us sat on two beds and opened up to one
another. The hours flew by and before we knew it, it was 2 am.
When Megan Carter began to dose off, we decided it would be
best to get a couple good hours of rest before waking to catch our plane.
Though my eyes were yearning to be closed after a long day of adventure, my
mouth wanted to continue talking. The true meaning of a mission trip was
unfolding in front of my eyes as it had during the previous days in Montasano.
We were becoming friends on a deeper level. Friendship is the key to a life of
happiness. And, mission trips are not successful without making a deeper
connection with at least one person. During my week in Nicaragua, I not only
laughed and cried with new friends from the States, but I made countless
friends in the mountains of Nicaragua where English is
rare and shower heads are nonexistent.
